Tag: Topaz
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine. It is one of the hardest naturally occurring minerals (Mohs hardness of 8) and is the hardest of any silicate mineral. This hardness combined with its usual transparency and variety of colors means that it has acquired wide use in jewellery as a cut gemstone.
It actually has an exceptionally wide color range that, besides brown, includes various tones and saturations of blue, green, yellow, orange, brown, red, pink, and purple.
Topaz can be found in many parts of the world. Its largest and finest specimens have been found in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Also in Pakistan, Mexico, the Ural Mountains in Russia and the states of Colorado, Utah and California USA.
Yellow topaz is the birthstone of November.
Spiritual Properties of topaz:
- Attracts love, good friends and partners. It leads to success and happiness.
- Helps us fight all kinds of phobia and anxiety, thereby improving our lives and giving us courage and confidence.
- It gives a feeling of peace and tranquility, improves mood and helps in artistic creation.
Healing properties of topaz:
- Has excellent effects against any diseases of the circulatory system, protects against thrombosis and cures hemorrhoids and bleeding.
- Regenerates tissues and enhances clarity of vision.
- Regulates metabolism, strengthens us from a period of intense exhaustion and stimulates the immune and nervous systems.
The first century Jewish historian Josephus believed there was a connection between the twelve stones in Aaron’s breastplate (signifying the tribes of Israel, as described in the Book of Exodus), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Translations and interpretations of the passage in Exodus regarding the breastplate have varied widely, with Josephus himself giving two different lists for the twelve stones. St. Jerome, referencing Josephus, said the Foundation Stones of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:19–20) would be appropriate for Christians to use.
In the eighth and ninth century, religious treatises associating a particular stone with an apostle were written, so that “their name would be inscribed on the Foundation Stones, and his virtue. Practice became to keep twelve stones and wear one a month. The custom of wearing a single birthstone is only a few centuries old, though modern authorities differ on dates.
In 1912, in an effort to standardize birthstones, the (American) National Association of Jewelers (now called Jewelers of America) met in Kansas and officially adopted a list.
The Jewelry Industry Council of America updated the list in 1952 by adding Alexandrite for June, citrine for November and pink tourmaline for October. They also replaced December’s lapis with zircon and switched the primary/alternative gems for March. The American Gem Trade Association added tanzanite as a December birthstone in 2002.